Stuck in a relationship that’s circling the drain? Dreading another day of forced smiles and silent dinners? Maybe you just need a little cosmic push to call it quits. Well, do I have the place for you. Yasui Konpira Shrine in Kyoto is famous for helping people cut ties—romantic or otherwise—when they can’t quite summon the courage themselves. No judgment, we’ve all been there.
This peculiar shrine dates back to Emperor Tenji’s reign (668–671 CE), when Fujiwara no Kamatari—the powerhouse politician and founder of Japan’s most influential aristocratic clan—set it up to pray for his family’s future. He had wisteria planted all over the grounds, earning it the name Fujidera, or “Temple of Wisteria.”
Centuries later, Emperor Sutoku (r. 1123–1141) took an interest in the shrine. A devoted admirer of wisteria, he felt drawn to the grounds and played a role in its restoration. But his story would end in tragedy. After a failed rebellion in 1156, he was exiled to Sanuki Province (modern-day Kagawa), torn away from everything he knew, including the capital he once ruled. Isolated and consumed by regret, he spent his days in deep repentance, even writing Buddhist sutras in his own blood in a desperate attempt at spiritual salvation. But the imperial court ignored his pleas, leaving him to die in despair. His restless spirit, full of wrath, was said to have cursed the imperial bloodline for generations, making him one of Japan’s three great vengeful ghosts.
Fast forward to 1177. A Buddhist monk named Daren visited the shrine and claimed he had a run-in with the emperor’s furious ghost. Shaken by the encounter, he led the charge to deify Sutoku, transforming Yasui Konpira into a shrine for severing attachments—not just to bad relationships, but to destructive habits, illnesses, and lingering regrets.
Here’s how it works: You take a paper talisman, write your wish, and then crawl through the Enkiri Enmusubi monument—a stone slab so thickly covered in paper prayers it looks like a makeshift igloo. Once through, you slap your wish onto the stone. And that’s it. People swear by its power, so be careful what you ask for. You might come back from Japan single, unemployed, or miraculously free of your worst vice.
And if you’re in a solid relationship? No worries. If it’s meant to last, the shrine’s deities will only make your bond stronger.
So, whether you need a clean break or a cosmic confirmation that you’re with the right one, Yasui Konpira Shrine delivers. Just be ready for the outcome.
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